McClain: Adams makes the right call by dropping Young

Top aides lobby owner to get rid of QB, not Fisher

Ever since Vince Young stormed out of a locker room firing expletives at his head coach, their five-year marriage was headed for divorce court.

Ever since Vince Young stormed out of a locker room firing expletives at his head coach, their five-year marriage was headed for divorce court.

Photo: J. Meric, Getty Images

Photo: J. Meric, Getty Images

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Ever since Vince Young stormed out of a locker room firing expletives at his head coach, their five-year marriage was headed for divorce court.

Ever since Vince Young stormed out of a locker room firing expletives at his head coach, their five-year marriage was headed for divorce court.

Photo: J. Meric, Getty Images

McClain: Adams makes the right call by dropping Young

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Owner Bud Adams did the smart thing this week when he agreed to let the Titans wash their hands of quarterback Vince Young.

Adams shocked the NFL and everyone in Tennessee with his decision, and he did the right thing.

Young will be waived in February. Coach Jeff Fisher will coach in the last year of his contract. And expect the Titans to use their first-round pick, eighth overall, on a quarterback unless they trade for a veteran like Philadelphia's Kevin Kolb.

Adams stunned everyone who predicted he would keep Young and pay him an $8.5 million base salary and a $4.25 million roster bonus while finding a way to get rid of Fisher without paying him $6.5 million in the last year of his contract.

Nashville was no longer big enough for Young and Fisher. Ever since Young stormed out of a postgame locker room firing expletives at his head coach — the last in a series of collisions between the two — their five-year marriage was headed for divorce court.

At first, Adams said he expected Fisher and Young to work out their differences, but Fisher had no interest in kissing and making up with a quarterback he didn't want in the first place.

Remember that in 2006, Fisher, general manager Floyd Reese and offensive coordinator Norm Chow wanted Matt Leinart. Adams made them select Young with the third pick in the first round.

Two times, first as a rookie and later in 2009, Adams made Fisher start Young, who performed well both times and, ultimately, compiled a 30-17 record as a starter.

Most Titans fans and members of the media favored Fisher, but just about everyone thought Adams would side with his hand-picked quarterback.

A first-class exit

Adams, who turned 88 this week, can be stubborn, especially when people disagree with him. But this time, he listened to the people he hired to make this kind of recommendation.

Senior executive vice president Steve Underwood and general manager Mike Reinfeldt came to Houston to meet with Adams on Monday. Underwood and Reinfeldt were on the same page with Fisher. They agreed it was time for Young to go, for Adams to allow them to cut the cord and start the search for a new quarterback.

Obviously, Underwood and Reinfeldt did a lot of preparation and made a convincing presentation to their boss. Rather than tell them they were wasting their time and they made the trip for nothing, Adams listened.

If Adams were going to disagree with Underwood, Reinfeldt and Fisher, then he should have fired them and replaced them with yes men who would tell him what he wanted to hear. But they didn't.

There's no telling what kind of evidence they presented to get Adams to change his mind, but here's something to consider: Fisher would have a much easier time getting a job than Young will.

Somebody will sign Young at some point, but he's going to have to do a great job of explaining when prospective teams bring up his list of issues with the Titans.

Adams knows Fisher is a lot more popular in Tennessee than Young. Fisher was never able to connect with Young. To his credit, Young made a first-class exit, saying all the right things to The Tennessean on Wednesday.

Bad precedent averted

Fisher experienced his most success with Steve McNair. When the Titans look for a replacement for Young, they need to find a quarterback Fisher is comfortable with and confident in — a quarterback like McNair.

One thing that must have crossed Adams' mind was this: If he chose his quarterback over his head coach after demanding that quarterback be drafted and start, what message would that send to candidates to replace Fisher?

How many legitimate candidates would be seriously interested in a job working for an owner who shoved a quarterback down the coach's throat? Not many, if any.

John McClain can be heard on 610 AM at 8:30 a.m. Mondays, 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays and 4:30 p.m. Fridays.